A complete reflection in the Merced River at Valley View requires still air, mild temperatures, low water, and arriving before the valley winds begin — conditions that align on perhaps twenty mornings per year, which is why this image is different from the winter version (#9) in ways that go beyond season. The camera was positioned as low as possible above the water's edge to maximize the reflection's presence in the frame, the sky and the granite walls of the valley doubling in a symmetry that the morning itself briefly permits. This medium format panorama assembles multiple frames into a composition that captures the full corridor of the valley from the Valley View framing rocks to El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall beyond. The reflection broke within minutes; the morning light held longer.